Denver Nuggets Stave Off Suns in Shorthanded Clash

Nikola Jokić – B

The first half went according to plan for Nikola Jokić. Despite the absence of Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon, the Nuggets were spacing the floor and shooting the lights out. The Suns, also shorthanded, don’t offer much resistance on defense. Jokić shot only four times in the first half, made three, and posted ten assists. As the two teams headed to the locker room, the Nuggets were shooting 67% and 50% from three. They scored 70 points.

Jusuf Nurkic turned it up a couple of notches in the third quarter. He scored on Jokić easily and repeatedly. Even Kevin Durant happily deferred to that one-on-one matchup. Nurkic, who posted 13 points in the first half, matched that total in the third. The Suns pushed back. A once potential blowout now looked up for grabs. Jokić had to respond. The fourth quarter turned into a bait-fest for both bigs. They each committed three fouls in their final stints. For Nurkic, that was one too many. His swinging elbow was deemed his sixth and a flagrant. Jokić hit a free throw and a driving reverse layup to seal the game.

For the first time in a long time, Nurkic put a case together for having outplayed Jokić. He was minutes away from one of the best games of his career. But that’s not the story after his ejection in a loss. This matchup is like quicksand for him. The harder he works, the further he sinks into what Jokić is comfortable with. He’s going to commit fouls. He’s going to miscalculate possessions. And even on the nights when he’s outscoring him, Jokić will quietly post 16 assists on the road without two starters.

Michael Porter Jr. – B

Kevin Durant led all first-quarter scorers with 12. He scored five of those on Porter right out of the gate. Justin Holiday and Peyton Watson would eventually take the assignment. In the meantime, Porter was cooking too. He posted 10 points of his own on 5/6 shooting. He did it without hitting any 3s and looked supremely confident. Yet he only got one shot off in the second quarter. He showed rare, visible frustration as others called their numbers and missed. He cooled off and was no help in the third either, shooting 0/4 from the floor. He was still sitting on those ten points at the start of the fourth.

He got himself going with an important floater in the non-Jokić minutes. With Jokić on the floor, he hit a jumper plus the foul out of a dribble handoff. Then he hit his biggest shot of the night. Denver led 109-108 with about three minutes left when the Suns sent a double at Jokić. He fired a beauty across the floor to MPJ. Porter caught it, took Durant off the dribble, and drained a challenging step back. He finished with 19 points, 10 rebounds, and 4 assists. His nine points in the fourth led all players.

Justin Holiday – A

After another brilliant spot start, it’s time again to hand Holiday his flowers. The way his skillset helps the Nuggets is well analyzed. And we’ve reached a point where it’s no longer about theoretical impact. He’s not just allowing Denver space the floor. He’s hitting almost everything he shoots. He’s doing more than just drilling the catch-and-shoot opportunities. He’s hitting the tough looks when they come his way, too. In Phoenix, Holiday played a significant role in a ball-popping game. Denver finished with 38 assists. Holiday finished with five and shot 6/8 from the floor. He did not turn the ball over.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope – B+

If the ball is popping, you know KCP had a hand in the success. He’s on a solid playmaking run in Murray’s absence. That continued in Phoenix as he fed Jokić and found Reggie Jackson on the perimeter. Pope left Arizona with five assists, three steals, and zero turnovers. He shot 3/6 from deep, too. Not much to complain about there.

Reggie Jackson – A–

Take your time, Jamal Murray. Reggie Jackson is hooping. He spent most of his time on the floor either knocking down threes or gliding to the rim. Jackson is quite the player aesthetically. Something is fascinating about the way he moves when he’s hot. He dropped 20 points on 8/11 shooting in Phoenix. And he brought four assists to the playmaking party.

In the interest of critical analysis, we should acknowledge that Jackson was pretty bad on the defensive end. His effort and success there have dropped off since he started looking for his shot more. It’s been a welcome tradeoff, however, without Murray.

Peyton Watson – A-

One of Watson’s best traits is that he gets more confident when he sees Kevin Durant in front of him. He relishes the challenge against his mentor and embraces his opportunity to go toe-to-toe with one of the greatest scorers ever. That mentality may be essential to his success. He stifled Durant again in Phoenix. KD, who poured in 22 first-half points, shot 0/10 from the field to close the game. Denver has Watson to thank for that, and Watson has a DPOG chain to show for it.

This could and should be an A+ grade. In the same way, this could and should have been a blowout in Phoenix. With Watson’s ferocious approach to defense came a frenzied approach on offense. His eyes grew slightly too wide, and we can easily imagine the adrenaline coursing through his veins. He took and missed several ill-advised looks as the Suns chipped away at the deficit before the half. Porter and Jokić combined for one shot attempt in the second quarter when Watson attempted seven.

Christian Braun – B–

The experiment of Braun, the ball handler, continues. He’s showing some improvement. He had a nice find to a cutting Porter and a slick pocket pass to a rolling DeAndre Jordan. He grabbed four boards and shot 4/6 from the field as well.

Julian Strawther – B–

We can see the Strawther’s confidence returning. After some wild and loud misses to start the season, his shot is falling. He drilled three crucial 3s in the win on the road.

DeAndre Jordan – C

This is another excellent example of what Jordan does and doesn’t provide. There were some ugly possessions defensively, but it’s hard to miss the value of him rolling to the rim. The lob threat is real, and defenses respect it. The floor changes when Jordan moves. It makes life easier for Jackson and simplifies the game for whoever fills in the rest of the lineup.